Historical Notes 



5 



Tradition says that the first Christian Church in 

 Britain was built of boughs, and that the disciples 

 adopted the plan, as more likely to attract the notice 

 of the people, because the heathens built their 

 temples in that manner, probably to imitate the 

 temples of Saturn, which were always under the oak. 



The great feast of Saturn was held in December ; 

 and as the oaks of this country are then without 

 leaves, the priests obliged the people to bring in boughs 

 and sprigs of evergreens ; and Christians, on the 2^th 

 of the same month, did the like ; from whence 

 originated the present custom of placing holly and 

 other evergreens in our churches and houses, to show 

 the feast of Christmas is arrived. 



The name of Holly is a corruption of the word 

 holy, as Dr. Turner, our earliest writer on plants, calls 

 it Holy and Holy-tree, which appellation was given to 

 it most probably, from its being used in holy places. 



It has a great variety of names in Germany, 

 amongst which is Christdorn, In Danish it is also 

 called Christorn, and in Swedish Christtorn, amongst 



